Wednesday Novenmber 9th 2016
As I wake up wondering if I’ll get out of bed, I hear the anti-Trump protest marching outside my NY hotel, my friends from LA on the front line. I feel as if there was a death in the family. Am I in shock? So many questions ran through my mind: What rights will be taken away from me? What about our beautiful LGBTQ youth, what will happen to them with a Trump presidency? Oh my God, our planet! Trump believes global warming is a hoax! Will all our hard work to cut greenhouse emissions be thrown down the drain? Our planet can’t survive another four years of misconduct. What about my Latino boo pies in LA? Will they be deported? Will more black lives not matter? I was stuck in a pool of dark questions with no answers.
Walking the streets of Manhattan, watching life around me, I can’t help but notice the people’s urgency to be heard. That feeling of doubt drifted over me – should I be doing more? Should I have done more to educate my friends and family back home in Indiana? A part of me feels everyone was misled, lied to, and scammed but another part of me ask, “Where did we go wrong?” This woman Christine recently posted on my FB wall about an article I shared, telling me, “You shouldn’t call people religious bigots like this article, that’s one of the reasons Trump got elected. You should be more tolerant of other people’s views. Marriage has been between a man and woman for thousands of years, you can’t expect everyone in one generation to all of a sudden change their mind set, it just takes time. They aren’t hateful, they just don’t agree or understand.” I agree with her – we can’t just go and change things and not educate our people. We have to incorporate change into their lives with ease and grace instead of forcing it down their throats. Yes, I obviously believe it’s our God-given right to marry whoever we want but, like Christine said, it takes time.
I understand the people who voted for Trump because they were craving change and Hillary didn’t offer change, even though Trump’s change is scary to the half the country that isn’t white, heterosexual, and Christian. I may get shit for saying this, but do we blame the southern red states for this? They’re living in fear as well. They’re being brainwashed into thinking someone brown will steal their jobs, someone trans will rape their child in the restroom, and someone Muslim will terrorize their town.
When I protested in North Carolina against HB2 (the bathroom law banning trans people from using the restroom they identify with) the lawmakers and local government had live music and gave out free hot dogs as they kept telling their people over and over “trans people will rape your child! Trans people will kill your woman. We must save them!” As I walked through the crowed of ignorance, I realized it was all brainwashing. No facts were being presented, just fear wrapped in free food and entertainment. I overheard a politician telling a reporter, “We’ve had such an awesome turnout.” His enthusiasm for scaring innocent people into discriminating against other innocent people cut right through me. This isn’t to protect any woman or child, this is to divide us so they will continue to vote for them. I was watching a scam unfold right in front of me and I couldn’t stop it. As Trump takes office, I now see how far the scam has reached… all the way to the White House.
As I drift into the crowed of protesters, I realize this is not just about losing an election. This is about the fact that people have two very different ways of seeing our country.
Hillary supporters believe in a diverse America, where religion or skin color or sexual orientation or place of birth aren’t liabilities or deficiencies. And Trump supporters believe in a very selective America, one that is largely white and straight and Christian. Just like Governor Pat McCrory with HB2, Trump ran a campaign of fear and exclusion and isolation.
Every horrible thing Donald Trump ever said about women, disabled veterans, Muslims, or people of color has now been validated.
Every piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation Indiana Governor Mike Pence has championed has been signed off.
Those like me who have always felt vulnerable because of their differences are now left feeling even more so. Those whose voices have been silenced will be further quieted.
My white-privileged family and friends who voted for Trump don’t realize how scary it is to have your basic rights taken away from you. They don’t fear using the restroom, or worry that their black child will be shot down by the ones sworn to protect them. I recently lost my shit on my cousin who proudly voted for Trump. Her excuses were to protect her family from refugees coming into the states and raping or killing her and her children. Interesting, doesn’t that sound familiar? The Republicans know that their most powerful tool is scaring voters, and they do that by imagining a threat to the most vulnerable members of our community – our woman and children. My cousin also made a point of addressing how white people are becoming the minority in America and that frightened her. Okay, what about the native Indians whose land was stolen from them by white people. The very people we robbed, raped, and murdered are now standing in the cold trying to protect our clean water.
Let’s be honest – we had a very shitty deck of cards this election and now that we have Trump as president, we must see the silver lining. Trump is a reflection of our society, he is here to shed light on the ones that have been hating in the dark, hiding behind the white sheets and rebel flags. He’s brought it all to the surface, and we’re now all here on the front lines, awake and ready to say hello. This is how a revolution begins.
As I make my way through the crowd, I decide to leave with a promise. A promise to keep educating and inspiring America, to keep protecting our planet, and to always fight for equality for all.
